Home sweet home — and back in the studio — after two unforgettable weeks at the world‑renowned Château d’Orquevaux Artists & Writers Residency. I’m not sure there are enough adjectives to fully capture how sacred, special, and life‑giving this experience truly was. It was one of those rare seasons of life that you carry with you forever.

Saying au revoir to so many new friends from across the world was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Twenty‑nine of us gathered in a tiny rural village called Orquevaux …it’s located east of Paris in the Champagne-Ardenne region— a place home to only about 50 people — and somehow, for two weeks, it became the center of the creative universe.

The château itself is four stories of history and wonder, built in 1897, with walls, details, and rooms that feel like they hold a thousand stories. Each morning on my walk around the lake, I watched the swans, Abbie and Steve, glide across the water. To my right were the waterfalls and the village of Orquevaux. Straight ahead, up the hill, stood the château — and my third‑floor studio window. More than once, I found myself tearing up, overwhelmed by gratitude and awe.

I kept thinking about the fabulous founders Beulah @beulahvanrensburg and Ziggy @ziggyattias_art and the entire staff (especially Alice & Flora)— their vision, faith, courage, and tireless work. The impact they have made on artists and writers from around the world is immeasurable. It felt like a real‑life Field of Dreams moment: “If you build it, they will come.” And they have and we did — from every corner of the globe.

During the residency, each of us had private studios and bedrooms. Some rooms were inside the château, and others were tucked into the village just inside and beyond the gates. I stayed in the Poet House, newly renovated and absolutely lovely. Each morning, I took a cold, brisk walk through the village and up the steep hill to the château — a wake‑up call for the body, mind, and soul, and a guaranteed way to hit my step and stair goals before breakfast.

Because of Beluah and Ziggy, Orqevaux has the only art store in the world which is open 30 minutes a day/7 days a week. Yep, they opened each day for us to go purchase any needed supplies and it is the most precious French art store!!!

And there’s an art gallery across the street from the art store where they house a permanent art collection - pieces donated by previous resident artists, now including ours.

And then there were the people.

Artists. Writers. Musicians. Filmmakers. Producers. Sculptors. Poets. Creatives of every kind. From different countries, cultures, cities, and stories — yet deeply connected by the same calling to create. We bonded quickly and deeply because we simply “get” each other. There was generous sharing of time, talent, tools, ideas, and encouragement. Beautiful collaborations formed naturally. Creativity flowed freely.

We shared meals, art supplies, words of hope, laughter, tears, heartache, creative struggles, breakthroughs, and victories. We shared our art — and we shared our hearts. It was real. It was raw. It was holy in its own quiet way. Two beautiful weeks in a remote French village, away from the noise and chaos of the world, felt like a gift beyond measure.

This residency wasn’t just about creating art — it was about becoming more fully who we are as artists and humans.

What a treasure. What a gift of time.

Merci, forever and ever and ever, Château d’Orquevaux.

@studiochateauorquevaux @chateau_orquevaux

Special thanks to Alice & Flora! @capitainesoleil @floradorandeu

I could share hundreds more photos and moments …..

*If you’d like to watch more behind the scenes from my residency, click HERE!

Please check out the resident artists & writers and their wonderful work…these are the amazing creatives who attended the residency with me January 2-25, 2026: